A stultifying bourgeois existence is transmogrified into a grotesque nightmare of unreality. We seek escape through the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure and passion, which only proves illusory. The only way out is salvation from life (death).
At least that's what I make of this on first viewing. German Expressionism was one of the main things that drew me to silent film, and watching this made me fall in love with it all over again. There's just something about the highly stylized avant-garde theater quality of it that makes it very compelling to me. And this film in particular was one I'd heard about as emblematic of that movement and style, but less familiar to general audiences than The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. One reason is that this film only survived in a single print in a Japanese archive/library. It is a miracle that we have this film at all, especially when so many silent films have been lost to time. In any case, this more than lived up to my expectations, and the percussion ensemble score perfectly fit the film's quirkiness. Highly recommended if you haven't already seen it.
At least that's what I make of this on first viewing. German Expressionism was one of the main things that drew me to silent film, and watching this made me fall in love with it all over again. There's just something about the highly stylized avant-garde theater quality of it that makes it very compelling to me. And this film in particular was one I'd heard about as emblematic of that movement and style, but less familiar to general audiences than The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. One reason is that this film only survived in a single print in a Japanese archive/library. It is a miracle that we have this film at all, especially when so many silent films have been lost to time. In any case, this more than lived up to my expectations, and the percussion ensemble score perfectly fit the film's quirkiness. Highly recommended if you haven't already seen it.